Dennis Joseph "Dan" Brouthers, 1st Base, Detroit Wolverines, from the Old Judge series (N172) for Old Judge Cigarettes 1887

Editor: So, here we have an image from 1887, "Dennis Joseph 'Dan' Brouthers," a baseball player for the Detroit Wolverines. It’s a print from the Old Judge Cigarettes series by Goodwin & Company, meant to be included in cigarette packs. There’s something melancholy about it. Brouthers seems so serious, captured on this small sepia-toned card. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: Oh, I feel it too, that faded glory! You know, I imagine a kid in the 1880s, pulling this card out of a pack of cigarettes, dreaming of becoming Brouthers. It's funny to think that baseball, and indeed, Brouthers himself, became immortalized not just through talent but through a marketing ploy. It speaks volumes about how we create heroes and myths. Look at the way his eyes almost meet yours; do you think he feels like he's selling you something? Is this Americana, a sport or just business? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it does recontextualize things quite a bit. I mostly saw it as just a portrait. Curator: A portrait, yes, but also a carefully crafted piece of advertisement, designed to build a personal connection, even a parasocial one, between fans and the star player, and ultimately, selling a feeling more than a product. He’s not just an athlete; he’s an aspirational figure bought with every purchase! That slightly out-of-focus baseball hovering at eye-level certainly makes it more tangible and relatable. Editor: It’s fascinating to see how early advertising blurred lines between sports, celebrity, and consumerism. The seriousness feels less melancholy and more about commerce now. Curator: Exactly! That's the beauty of looking at art, isn’t it? Discovering the layers beneath, that even a simple baseball card, a faded photograph, can reflect so much about society, dreams, and perhaps…the relentless pursuit of a buck. And thinking how this still feels like an inherent component of culture... it's almost a reflection. Editor: Definitely makes you think about what’s inside all those blind boxes people buy today.